The escalation in the Persian Gulf threatens to jeopardise the supply of medical consumables for European hospitals. According to a report by “Der Spiegel”, Chinese chemical companies have formally declared force majeure because the Strait of Hormuz is blocked, and they can no longer meet delivery contracts under agreed terms. The items most at risk are disposable gloves, protective gowns and drainage tubes – about 70 % of all clinical consumables, according to industry insiders.
“Six out of ten Chinese manufacturers are presently not taking orders because the raw material market has returned to the chaotic conditions of the Corona period. Whoever pays the highest price gets the supply” said Michael Koch, product‑project manager at the German medical wholesaler Medika Medizintechnik, to “Spiegel”. Koch estimates that price increases of at least 20 % are realistic. A hospital in Quedlinburg, in Saxony-Anhalt, warns that price rises of up to 30 % would hit hospitals hard.
So far, shortages have not yet been felt in German hospitals; their inventories remain adequate. Nevertheless, industry experts caution that it is only a matter of time before the crisis becomes apparent.